Course Syllabus
***Note*** Assignment dates and assessment information (including grading rubrics) are still being determined; anything listed here is subject to adjustment.
Instructor: David Carlson, Ph.D.
E-mail: dcarlson@iliff.edu
Weekly Google hangout (think "office hours"): to be determined
Course Description: This class is a brief examination of various financial management concepts relevant to church leaders, non-profit and for-profit managers, and various social and community activist positions. The class will explore important debt, equity, and fundraising issues critical to success in these fields and introduce basic financial terms such as forecasting, budgeting, and cash flow.
Course Objectives:
- Students will gain a basic understanding of the elements and dynamics of effective financial management for congregations and other non-profit organizations,** including the roles and responsibilities of positions therein.
**Following Thomas Wolf (p.7), the term nonprofit organization [aka, "NPO"] in this course “refers to those legally constituted, nongovernmental entities incorporated under state law as charitable or non-for-profit corporations that have been set up to serve some public purpose and are tax-exempt according to the IRS.” Wolf lists five characteristics of NPOs. In this course, the term congregation refers to such entities whose purpose is of a religious nature.
- Students will learn to read and understand financial documents of congregations and other NPOs in order to assess (a) their internal scope and consistency and (b) their relation to the stated mission and vision of such congregations and other NPOs.
- Students will identify and reflect upon key issues concerning the role(s) of pastors of congregations and executive directors of other NPOs with regard to the financial management effectiveness and the mission/vision of such congregations and other NPOs.
- Each student will prepare a detailed financial management profile of a specific congregation or other NPO from documents and personal interviews to assist her or him in grounding key concepts, principles, and issues studied in this course. These profiles will also be developed in light of assigned readings and other resource materials, plus class discussion.
- Students will examine a range of perspectives on fund-raising and stewardship and develop a reflective personal statement on their interrelationship.
Books for the Course -- Required and Optional
Wolf, Thomas. Managing a Nonprofit Organization, Updated Twenty-First-Century Edition. New York: Free Press, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4516-0846-5 (paperback); ISBN 978-1-4391-3489-4 (ebook). [We will focus primarily upon Chapters 1, 6, 7, and 8 from this book.]
Christopher, J. Clif. Not Your Parents' Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship. Nashville: Abingdon, 2008. ISBN 978-0-687-64853-5 (paperback).
Lane, Charles R. Ask, Thank, Tell: Improving Stewardship Ministry in Your Congregation. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2006. ISBN 0-8066-5263-2 (paperback).
Other required learning materials will be available on Canvas.
On Reserve, NOT required to buy
Connors, Tracy D. and Christopher T. Callaghan, eds. Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations. New York: American Management Associations, 1982.
Hall, Douglas John. The Steward: A Biblical Symbol Come of Age. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 1990 (revised edition); publication date 7/21/2004. ISBN 1-59244-766-X (paperback). Previously published by Friendship Press, 1990.
Nouwen, Henri J. M. A Spirituality of Fundraising. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2010. ISBN 978-0-8358-1044-9 (paperback).
See Taylor Library's list of online book sellers for purchasing options.
Getting Started
At the beginning of the course (or beforehand, if possible), please take the time to read through all of the pages listed below. Doing so may save you time--and headaches!--later on.
Financial Management Course Project
Course Summary:
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